How to remove your address from the Internet

If you’ve ever Googled your name, you’d see links to your LinkedIn profile and social media accounts like Instagram and Facebook along with your shared images. But did you know that your home address can also appear on many websites?

That’s what data brokering is all about: almost all organizations, from banks to hotels you’ve stayed in and other public services, share your home address details with their business partners and third-party suppliers, who use them to sell related services . .

You would unknowingly agree to this when concluding a contract or booking a service online. The lengthy terms on their website mention how the company will collect and share your information in order to offer you better services. However, most of us never read these detailed terms.

Having your home address publicly available online can expose you to cybercrime, harassment and heavy losses. Thieves are constantly scanning the web to view and use your information to monitor your surroundings and plan a theft. And hackers can use your home address in someone else’s name and steal your identity.

However, taking the right and timely steps can help you remove your public address and protect you and your loved ones. Using a tool like Incogni can make this process easy and painless.

What you can do to remove your address from the Internet

You can remove your publicly listed address online using the following steps.

Step 1: Start by finding out where your address is listed

• Google your name: Google will display search results that include your name and address. Most of these results will be related to data brokers, social media platforms and people search sites.
• Check People Search Sites: People Search sites like Spokeo, Whitepages, and BeenVerified collect your information and sell it to insurance and marketing companies or other data brokers. Some sites even post your profiles online for free.
• Check the data brokers: Data brokers collect your information from the digital footprint you leave behind during online transactions and various other sources and sell it for profit. Or they charge a fee to provide access to your data to other businesses, marketers or organizations that want to target you for advertising, marketing, investment, health, financial, research and recruitment purposes. People search sites are also data brokers who sell access to data to interested individuals.
• Change your social media settings: Go to the Settings menu in your social media apps. Check the default state of your privacy settings. If not already set, change your privacy settings to hide your location data. Doing so will keep your address private.

Step 2: Request to be removed from people search sites

This is not an easy request. Removing your address from people search sites requires going through several opt-out processes on different sites. You can do this using the step-by-step logout guides provided by Incogni, but you need a lot of free time and patience. Additionally, tracking your opt-out requests and their progress and ensuring they are completed can be taxing.

The best option to remove your address is to use a personal and trusted data removal service like Incogni.

Step 3: Opt out of data providers

Data brokers are in the business of collecting, aggregating and selling personal data to third parties such as merchants, insurance companies, government entities and other data brokers.

Although they support the targeted marketing strategies of many brands, the way they collect data without your consent denies you your right to privacy.

In addition, people who buy your sensitive information could use it for nefarious activities and illegal profits. These data buyers could be scammers who keep you on their radar to steal your identity and use your credit cards or home address for illegal activities.

Data brokering is big business worldwide. There are an estimated 4,000 data brokers worldwide today. Some major data brokers include Acxiom, LLC and CoreLogic, Inc.

Acxiom collects and analyzes consumer data for targeted advertising and marketing, while CoreLogic provides real estate information and analytics for the real estate, mortgage and insurance industries.

In fact, there are data brokers for almost every aspect of what people do or own. You can keep your home address and data safe by opting out of data providers’ databases.

How to opt out of data processors

Removing your address and other information from data providers’ sites can be tedious and frustrating because everyone has a different opt-out process. But if you have the time and patience for it, you need to take three basic steps:

1. Narrow down your list of data processors by researching which ones operate in your area on data processor registry lists like this California registry.
2. Visit the opt-out page for each data provider, fill out the opt-out forms and complete the process.
3. Repeat the logout process regularly. Data processors may start collecting your information again if they do not use the suppression list. So you need to check regularly if your data has reappeared on their site and resubmit unsubscribe requests from time to time.

Use an automatic data deletion service

This may be the best way to remove your address from data broker sites, as doing it yourself takes a lot of time and effort. Specialized data removal services like Incogni take care of this tedious process for you.

According to Incogni’s research team, it would take the average internet user more than 304 hours to delete their data, just once. Imagine doing this repeatedly to keep your data off the market.

From predicting which data brokers are likely to have your data, sending opt-out requests, resolving disputes and performing periodic re-deletions, Incogni does it all for you.

Why Incognito is the best way to remove an address

As a recognized legal entity, Incogni uses the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the Colorado Privacy Act (CPA) to comply with data deletion requests from data providers. It also monitors people search sites and regularly sends them unsubscribe requests. Incogni also asks data brokers to add your profile to their suppression lists, if available, to make sure your name never appears again.

Incogni’s automated data removal tool covers 164 data processors. It works by removing every trace of your address while you sit back and relax. Using Incogni saves you time and protects your data from data brokers and people finders and out of circulation online.

Also remove your home address from these platforms

Google search results

First, run an advanced search and follow the step-by-step instructions in this anonymous guide to remove your phone number.

Additionally, suppression techniques such as creating your new profile can help push unwanted listings further up Google search results.

Profiles on social networks

• Remove your address by checking and adjusting your privacy settings on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and more.
• Remove geotagged location data from photos and posts.
• And deactivating old accounts where your address may still be listed will be a good move.

Contact website owners

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) gives you the right to remove content that violates your privacy. If your address has been published without your consent, you can submit a DMCA takedown request and have your address removed from websites and forums.

How to keep your privacy in the future

• Make it a habit to unsubscribe from new entries. This means checking back regularly and checking out for new listings. Save time and let Incogni do it for you automatically.
• Use a PO Box or virtual address. In this way, you can prevent your home from coming under the scanner of thieves. And your address cannot be used to steal your identity.
• Share personal information and photos within safe limits. Share only what is necessary on trusted sites, especially when shopping or interacting on social media.

Start working in anonymous mode and remove your address from the Internet

If it’s important to keep your address private and secure, consider using data deletion in anonymous mode. You can protect up to four loved ones with Incogni’s Family and Friends Plan. Or choose an individual plan for yourself.

Additionally, as a US-based subscriber, you can add up to three phone numbers, three emails and three addresses. This information may help Incogni identify and remove your other personal information from the Internet.

An annual subscription with a special 50% discount will cost you $7.49 per month for the Individual plan and $16.49 per month for the Family & Friends plan. Plus, with Incogni’s ongoing Cyber ​​Security Week offer, get a 58% off annual subscription by using code MAKEUSEOF at the checkout.